One little number, that’s all it was. In Porsche terms that doesn’t usually mean much when the eras are the same. On the road a 996 is really quite like a 997 and you can say the same about the 991 and 992. When talk turns to racing prototypes, the 906 was not so different to a 907, nor it to a 908. But a 961 and a 962? They were both prototypes, they raced at exactly the same time and even in exactly the same races. They developed similar power from similar engines. But to drive? Oh my goodness.
There is another number in this story: the telephone number of the bloke most closely associated with the Porsche 961, albeit for all the wrong reasons. It’s a number I rang quite a lot before he finally picked up. But we’ll be getting to him and his reticence to take my call in a little while. For now, join me behind the wheel of a Porsche 962.
